1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to a safety belt arrangement for use with an automotive vehicle so as to protect passengers sitting within the vehicle compartment from inertia to which they are subjected when the vehicle is suddenly decelerated. More particularly, the present invention relates to a structure for mounting the safety belt arrangement onto a floor panel of a vehicle body.
2. Description of the Prior Art
As is well known, various constructions of safety belt arrangements are applied to automotive vehicles for protecting passengers sitting within the vehicle compartments from the forces of inertia to which they are subjected due to sudden deceleration of the vehicle. Generally, the safety belt arrangement has a means for extracting and retracting the belt. Such means is operative in response to change of vehicle velocity to restrict the rotation of a reel provided in the means or in response to a relatively high and rapid stretching force applied to the belt to retract the belt. The safety belt is wound around the reel at one end thereof. The other end of the belt is secured onto the floor panel of the vehicle body. When the vehicle is suddenly decelerated and thereby substantially high or heavy inertia is applied to the safety belt arrangement, the floor panel is apt to be deformed due to the bending force and the stretching force applied thereto through the belt. Particularly, in a vehicle having a vehicle body separated from the vehicle frame, such as a truck and so on, the possibility of deformation of the floor panel is higher. By deforming the floor panel, the effect of the safety belt arrangement is decreased thereby subjecting the passengers to danger.
In order to avoid the above-mentioned defect and disadvantages in the prior art, there have been developed various improved constructions of the safety belt arrangements. Generally, such improved constructions include a means for connecting the floor panel to the vehicle frame at the portion of the floor panel adjacent to the portion securing the end of the belt. However, in such construction, the force of stretching and bending the floor panel is apt to be concentrated at the connecting means so that it is required to have sufficient strength to resist the same thereby increasing the thickness of the floor panel. This causes increased weight and cost.
Further in case of connecting the floor panel to the vehicle frame, it is required to isolate the floor panel from vibration of the vehicle frame. In the prior art, isolating the floor panel from the vehicle frame is performed by mechanical means provided in the connecting means therebetween. This possibly complicates construction.
The present invention is to eliminate the abovementioned disadvantage in the prior art and to provide an improved construction for securing the end of the safety belt onto the floor panel of the vehicle body, which is capable of reducing the weight and cost by using relatively light and thinner connecting means.